


elephant

by helsinkibaby



Category: FBI (TV 2018)
Genre: Everyone Finds Out, F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:09:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Everyone ignores the elephant in the room.
Relationships: Kristen Chazal/Jubal Valentine
Kudos: 31





	elephant

"Well, well, well, Kristen..." Stuart's ex-partner swung around, ever present tablet pressed to her chest, giving him a slightly narrow eyed glare over a rueful smile. "You didn't have to get dressed up for us." 

Kristen glanced down at herself before turning back to her desk, the long skirt of her formal gown swishing as she moved. "I like to make an effort for you, Stuart." 

"Well, it certainly beats what we've been looking at for the last hour or so," he told her, thinking of the crime scene he and Emily had just returned from, the dusty aftermath of a terrorist bomb, the sound of sirens and the smell of blood. Kristen all gussied up in a fancy dress was much easier to look at. And, considering he’d been teasing her for the last couple of weeks about her cousin’s black tie wedding, he couldn’t exactly ignore the situation. 

"I'll say." Emily's smile was warm as she twirled her index finger in the air, wordlessly asking Kristen to twirl around. Kristen duly obliged, even did it while walking, and Emily gave a low whistle. "Your dress is amazing." Then she tilted her head, wrinkled her nose. "Will you be in trouble for leaving the wedding early?" 

Kristen waved a hand, the bracelet on her arm twinkling as it caught the lights. "My aunt's probably not going to talk to me for the next little while," she allowed. "I'm heartbroken." She sounded the exact opposite and Stuart smiled. 

That didn't last long.

"Okay, okay, enough of the chatter, people. What have we got?" 

Jubal's voice cut across the hubbub of the room and silence fell. Not for the usual reasons though. 

No, the reason tonight was that Jubal was doing an excellent Tony Bennett impression, tuxedo jacket unfastened, tie undone, top shirt button open. 

Stuart felt his jaw go slack as his gaze swung from Jubal back to Kristen, then across the room to Emily, who looked as surprised as he felt. Near him, OA and Maggie were looking at the floor and the screens respectively, anywhere but at their ASAC, who was still talking, or at Kristen who was staring at her tablet as if it was the most important thing in the world. 

Somehow, Stuart found the wherewithal to report his and Emily's findings, with his partner jumping in every so often to back him up. Somehow, he also found the wherewithal to listen to OA and Maggie's reports before Jubal sent them off again, turning on his heel and moving away, Kristen at his side. 

Among the four team mates, silence reigned for a second. 

Stuart was the first one to speak, spreading his hands wide. “So, are we just ignoring the elephant in the room?” 

O.A. didn’t even blink. “Oh yeah.” 

“With everything in us.” Maggie’s reaction was equally fervent. 

Emily shrugged. “I have no idea what any of you are talking about.” 

Stuart nodded. “Excellent.” 

*

When Kristen walked into the kitchenette, it may or may not have been because Jubal had sent her a text message to say that he was going to get himself a cup of coffee. 

She knew how to read between the lines. 

Sure enough when she walked in, Jubal looked up, his face guarded at first but opening up when he realised it was her. “Good timing.” Jubal held up a steaming cup of coffee to her, half salute, half offer, and she reached for it greedily. As she took the first sip of perfectly temperatured, perfectly strengthened, much needed caffeine, Jubal looked her up and down, a frown coming to his face. “Weren’t you taller?” 

Kristen lifted an eyebrow, then put down the coffee and drew up her skirt just enough so he could see her bare feet. “Those shoes were not made to be worn without a glass or two of champagne.” 

“Ah.” Mystery solved, he nodded, took a sip of his own coffee. “How are you holding up?”

He might have been talking about the long day she’d had. He might have been talking about impending familial retribution from her pissed off aunt and surprisingly understanding cousin. He might have been talking about her shoes and her feet. 

She knew he wasn’t.

“You do know that everyone is talking about us, right?” She cut right to the chase. 

Jubal’s lips twisted into something like a rueful grimace. “I got that, yeah.” 

“So much for our secret.” They’d been doing such a good job of hiding it too; the stunned expressions when people had seen them side by side had been proof enough of that. Jubal didn’t say anything to that, just smiled quietly and took another sip of coffee. “You’re not worried?” Because they’d kept things quiet for a reason and the fact that he was, technically, her boss was only one of the reasons. 

Jubal shrugged. “I’m worried about getting this guy,” he said simply. “That’s enough for now. The rest, I’ll worry about later.” Which implied there was something for him to be worried about and her stomach twisted. She bit her lip and looked down, only looking up when she felt his fingers touch her elbow. “I’ll tell you what though... it was worth it.” His voice was warm, his eyes equally so. “Getting to see you look even more beautiful than you usually do... getting to meet your entire crazy family... getting to dance with you...”

She was smiling up at him. “Even though you don’t dance?”

He shrugged, looked up to heaven. “Like I say... worth it.” 

They shared a smile and Kristen, more than anything else, wanted to kiss him. Instead she tilted her head in the direction of the door. “We should probably get out there before someone thinks we’re up to something.” 

“If only.” Jubal actually rolled his eyes. “But you’re right. Unfortunately.” Another light touch to her elbow. “I’ll see you out there.” 

Kirsten watched him as he left and, if her eyes moved a little bit lower than usual, well, there was no-one around to see and the tux was a good fit.


End file.
